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Kitiara uth Matar
' Kitiara Uth Matar '(October 28, 318 AC - 357 AC), also known as "Kit", was one of the most infamous figures in Ansalon during the War of the Lance. Under the name "the Dark Lady", Kitiara served as Highlord of the Blue Dragonarmy. When the goddess Takhisis was defeated at the Temple of Neraka, Kitiara was able to keep most of her forces intact and murder her rival Highlords to become the sole ruler of the Dragonarmies. Years later, she supported her half-brother Raistlin Majere in his bid for godhood, while simultaneously positioning herself to betray him, by sending her armies to conquer Palanthas in a battle known as the Blue Lady's War. Kitiara perished during this conflict from wounds suffered by her former lover Dalamar the Dark, and her body was taken by her Death Knight servant Lord Sorth. Her presence, charisma and charm were so great that she had a long line of admireres, even her blue dragon steed Skie and her Death Knight servant Lord Soth, both of whom would spend many years searching for her soul after her death. Early Life Kitiara was born to Solamnic Knight Gregor Uth Matar and Rosamun Aelan in 318 AC, most likely in the city of Palanthas. Gregor and Rosamun left Palanthas for the small city of Solace in Abanasinia when Kitiara was still a baby. Kitiara took after her father, possessing the same brown eyes, dark curly hair, charm and lopsided, rougish smile. Gregor abruptly left Solace in 325 AC, and Rosamun remaired the woodcutter Gilon Majere, with whom she had the twin boys Caramon and Raistlin Majere. Kitiara was the one who named Raistlin, naming him after a clever hero in stories her father had told her. Gilon was often away working and the birth of the twins was very hard on her mother, so Kitiara taught herself to cook, sew, mend, and look after her brothers. Raistlin was born sickly and frail, and Rosamun was encouraged to let him die, but Kitiara refused, taking it upon himself to make sure he survived. Kitiara enrolled her brother Raistlin in Theobald's mage academy, and taught her brother Caramon how to fight with wooden swords. Around the time Raistlin joined the academy, Kitiara left Solace with Ursa Il Kinth to work as a mercenary. She periodically returned to Solace with money and small gifts for her family. Kitiara first met her future lover Tanis Half-Elven after she stole some magical jewels from a wizard jamed Janusz. Tanis rushed to her aid when she was fighting against some hobgoblins, only to find that she had been toying with them and scolded him for ruining her fun. They quickly became aquainted, but Kitiara was captured by the wizard Janusz and taken to Icereach, where she was "rescued" by Tanis. Upon their return to Solace, Kitiara and Tanis were surprised to learn that their relatives and friends had already met one another. Kitiara decided to stay with them in Solace and the group became known as the Companions, consisting of Kitara's brothers Caramon and Raistlin, the dwarf Flint Fireforge, the kender Tasslehoff Burrfoot and a Solamnic Knight by the name of Sturm Brightblade. The group broke up for various reasons in 346 AC and agreed to meet back at the Inn of the Last Home in Solace in five years' time. Tanis also broke off his relationship with Kitiara before they went seperate ways. Kitiara traveled with Sturm Brightblade to Solamnia, both seeking to learn the fate of their fathers who had been Solamnic Knights. Kitiara became increasingly frustrated with Sturm's preachy nature and attempts to take charge, which coupled with her frustration concerning Tanis, prompted her to seduce Sturm. Sturm was immediately remorseful for what he had done, and proposed marriage, something that Kitiara firmly denied. The two soon parted ways after that. Unbeknownst to Kitiara however, their tryst had made her with child, and she showed up at Sara Dunstan's cottage, sick and pregnant. Kitiara was dying, but was cared for by Sara and a local druidess. Kitiara successfully delivered a son whom she named Steel as a a joke, since Sturm was the father. Kitiara agreed to let Sara keep the child, but periodically sent money and gifts to Sara and Steel. Rise to Power Kitiara had heard stories about Ariakas, then only a general, and left for Sanction to join his army. Ariakas was impressed with her demeanor and sent her on her first mission - to recruit the red dragon Immolatus. Kitiara succeeded in her mission, much to the surprise of Ariakas. Ariakas gave her the rank of Commander and sent her and Immolatus to Hope's End to search for the eggs of metallic dragons, which were to be converted to Draconians. Kitiara became part of the Blue Dragonarmy led by the Blue Dragon Highlord Kartilann of Khur. She was paired with a blue dragon named Zephyr, daughter of the Highlord's mount Skie. During a battle, Kartilann was killed by an arrow, and Zephyr was killed by elemental magics. As Kitiara was falling to her death, she was saved by Skie, and together they led the charge and won the battle, forming a skilled partnership. With Skie's help, Kitiara was promoted to the new Highlord of the Blue Dragonarmy War of the Lance In the Spring of 315 AC, Kitiara led the Blue Dragonarmy in their invasion of Solamnia, conquering Kalaman, Hinterlund, Nightlund and Vingaard Keep. Busy leading her army, Kitiara did not return to the Inn of the Last Home as she had promised her companions. Kitiara was planning an attack on the High Clerist's Tower but was recalled from the front by Ariakas, who was now Emperor, and sent to investigate the death of Red Army Highlord Verimnaard at the hands of a rag-tag band of adventurers. Kitiara realized that these adventurers were her former companions, including her brothers, but chose to keep it to herself. Kitiara learned that Tanis had been travelling with his former bethroed, the elf princess Laurana. Overcome by jealously after being told that Tanis and Laurana were in love and that Laurana was more beautiful than her, Kitiara became obsessed with Laurana and resolved to find her former companions. Ariakas rejected Kitiara's plan for an immediate attack on the High Clerist's Tower and tasked her with carrying out his plot to break the Knights of Solamnia from within by having one of it's leading knights, Lord Derek Crownguard aquire a Dragon Orb. The orb was in the posession of Dragon Highlord Feal'thas of the White Dragon Army. Feal'thas proved to be most uncooperative in giving her the orb however, even resisting her attempts at seduction, and told her that he had created a guardian to guard the orb that had orders to kill even he himself. Kitiara, refusing to return to Ariakas with bad news, resolved to defeat the guardian herself. After a bloody battle, Kitiara succeeded and gave the orb to the whtie dragon Sleet, who was under orders by Takhisis to allow Crowngaard to take the orb. Kitiara tracked the companions to Tarsis, which was being sacked by the Red Dragon Army. Kitiara sent Skie and a contingent of blue dragons to capture Tanis and her brothers, while she personally sought out Laurana. After watching her, Kitiara decided that Laurana was too beautiful a rival to be allowed to live, and decided to kill her. With the help of the draconian Slith, Kitiara subdued Laurana and dragged her into an alley. Before she could kill her however , she was interrupted by none other than Derek Crowngaard and a contingent of Solamnic Knights. Kitiara was forced to flee, but promised Laurana that they would meet again. Skie had failed in his mission to find the companions, and Kitiara was called to report to Ariakas. Ariakas had been using his wizardess mistress Iolanthe to spy on Kitiara, and after seeing her show so much interest in the group that assassinated Verminaard, now believed her to be guilty of treason. Upon her arrival in Neraka, Kitiara was arrested and sentenced to death. Iolanthe however, was playing Ariakas and Kitiara off against each other, and helped Kitiara escape. The now wanted Kitiara travelled to Dargaard Keep, home of the Death Knight Lord Soth. Takhisis had tried to recruit Soth to her armies, but Soth had given the terms that only the Highlord that spent a night in his castle would win his loyalty. Kitiara successfully survived a night in his castle and won Soth's admiration. Returning triumphantly to Neraka, her position as Highlord was restored. Kitiara was then sent to Flotsam to look for Berem, known as the Green Gemstone Man. There, she discovered Tanis, who was disguised as one of her troops. Mistaking his loyalties, they quickly rekindled their relationship. Kitiara left him in charge of Flotsam while she returned to Solamnia to finally lead her army against the High Clerist's Tower.She led a flight of blue dragons against the tower, whose remaining defenders were led by her former friend and the father of her child, Sturm Brightblade. Sturm engaged her and Skie ontop of the tower's battlements. Kitiara killed Sturm, but in the process of doing so, bought Laurana enough time to use a Dragon Orb to kill two of Kitiara's dragons and drive every Draconian in her army berserk, leading to her defeat. Kitiara then confronted Laurana ontop of the tower walls and taunted him by telling her that Tanis was with her. Upon returning to Flotsam however, she found that Tanis had left her and was fleeing on a ship together with Berem. Furious, Kitiara pursued them atop of Skie. She tried to capture the ship, but it was pulled under the Blood Sea of Istar by the Malestrom. Meanwhile, the Metallic Dragons of good had entered the war, and Laurana was made commander of the Whitestone Army, a coalition of various forces fighting the Dragonarmies. Laurana led her forces into battle against Kitaiara's army. Kitiara's army was defeated, her second in command, Bakaris was captued, and the occupied city of Kalaman was liberated. This, and the many other defeats she had sustained prompted Ariakas to execute her, but Lord Soth stayed his hand and Kitiara convinced the Emperor that she had a plan to capture Laurana and detroy the Whitestone Army by using her love for Tanis to lure her into a trap. Kitiara sent a false message to Laurana, who was still under the impression that Tanis was a servant of the Dragonarmies, that Tanis had been mortally wounded and wanted to see her before he died, which Kitiara would agree to if Bakaris was returned to her. Laurana fell for the trick, and took Bakaris to the meeting site where she was captued. Kitiara then travelled to Kalaman and told them that Laurana would be executed in three weeks time unless Berem was handed over to her and the Whitestone Forces surrendered. Kitiara then travelled to Neraka for a meeting of the Highlords. There, she encountered Tanis once again, who had come to Neraka to rescue Laurana. He offered to trae himself for Laurana, and Kitiara agreed to consider it. This was all part of a scheme of Kitiara's however, since she was convinced that the only way to make Tanis totally hers was to make him watch as she destroyed Laurana, and thus planned to have her tortured and to give her soul to Lord Soth. Kitiara and Tanis went before the Dark Queen Takhisis at her temple in Neraka and asked her to accept Tanis as an officer in the Dragonarmies and to grant Laurana's soul to Lord Soth. Takhisis agreed to both of these requests. Tanis managed to turn the tables on her however, and with help from her half brother Raistlin, struck down Emperor Ariakas and took the Crown of Power for himself. He was about to trade the crown for Laurana's freedom when Laurana freed herself on ther own and ran off. While attempting to stop her, she pushed Tanis, causing him to drop the crown in the midst of the Dragonarmies woh began fighting over it. Kitiara pursued them, and upon catching up with them, offered Tanis a final chance to be at her side, warning him that Soth was coming to collect Laurana's soul. Tanis refused her offer, telling her that he would die protecting Laurana. Kitiara allowed them to escape before the coming of Soth. Soth mocked her for this, but Kitiara responded that by letting them escape, she had ensured that she would always live in Tanis's heart which would forever poision his relationship with Laurana. Lord Soth then presented Kitiara with the Crown of Power. Post War of the Lance After the war, Kitiara retreated to Sanction to rebuild her forces, while Lord Soth helped her by killing the other remaining Dragon Highlords. Kitiara shared an uneasy truce with the Knights fo Solamnia. In the spring of 356 AC, she was summoned by her half-brother Raistlin to the Tower of High Sorcery in Palanthas which he ruled, and was made aware of his plans to become a god. She tried to stop him by sending Lord Soth to kill Crysania, a priestess of Paladine who was vital to Raistlin's plans. This failed however, when Paladine interevened to save her soul, putting her in a deep coma instead, and was revealed to be part of Raistlin's plans all along, since it prompted the Conclave of Wizards to send her back in time to the days of the Kingprirest so that he could heal her. Raistlin's apprentice and a spy for the Conclave of Wizards, the dark elf Dalamar, also sought to stop his master from becoming a god and Kitiara made an alliance with him to stop Raistlin. Lord Soth convinced her that Dalamar was secretly supporting his master and planned to destroy her. He also convinced her to attack Palanthas, which she did. She would have succeeded in her invasion and her plans to aid or kill Raistlin as she saw fit, were it not for her other brother Caramon's knowledge of the future, which enabled him to save Dalamar's life. Dalamar then mortally injured Kitiara. With her dying breath, she begged Tanis to protect her from Lord Soth, who was coming to take her soul so that she could spend eternity at his side. Shortly after she died, Soth appeared to claim her, but was initially unable to because she was protected by Tanis's love for her. Soth convinced Tanis to give her up, which he did, and Soth vanished with her body After Kitiara's Death Kitiara's spirit did not end up with Lord Soth. Her spirit appeared several times during the Chaos War. She, along with the spirit of Sturm Brightblade, helped their son Steel pass through the dark magic of the Shoikan Grove, and appeared at other times, attempting to convince her son to give himself over fully to evil, just as his father Sturm attempted to convince him to redeem himself and become good. When her nephew Palin Majere was in the Abyss, Kitiara (or something resembling her) tried to prevent him from returning to Krynn, but failed. She appeared before her son one last time, and gave him the chance to leave the world, along with Takhisis's other chosen, but he refused. In addition, over the course of the years, both her dragon mount Skie and Lord Soth attempted to find her soul. Skie sought to return his beloved Kitiara to life, while Soth undoubtedly had darker goals (albeit no less derived from what Soth considered love). Both would fail in their respective quests.